NEW YORK - The No. 34 Columbia men's tennis team will kick
off the 65th Annual Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic Friday, March 15 at 9
a.m. when it takes on the 47th-ranked Red Raiders of Texas Tech in Montgomery,
Ala.

Ivy League foes Cornell and Columbia have been seeded as the
second and third teams and the winners of their first round matches will play
Saturday in the semifinals. Notre Dame has been awarded the top seed, while
Nebraska is fourth.

Columbia will enter the prestigious Blue-Gray Classic well
rested. The Lions last competed on March 1, a 4-3 victory over No. 49 George Washington
at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center.

The Lions are led in singles by sophomore Winston Lin, the
34th-ranked player in the nation. Lin is in the midst of a six-match win streak
that dates back to his victory over Louisville's Seb Stiefelmeyer. The win over
Stielfelmeyer was one of two over ranked opponents for Lin, as he has also
topped then No. 3 Matija Pecotic from Princeton at the ECAC Indoor
Championship.

In doubles action, the tandem of Ashok Narayana and Max
Schnur remains ranked in the top 25, coming in at No. 24 in the most recent ITA
rankings released Tuesday, March 12. The pair has played as the top doubles
team in each match this season for Columbia and stands at 7-2 after winning
their last three matches.

The Red Raiders make the trip to Montgomery sporting a 9-4
record. After losing both its matches at the ITA Kickoff Weekend to No. 41 San
Diego and No. 48 Stanford, Texas Tech has won six of its last seven contests.
The Red Raiders last competed in Denver, Colo., downing both Denver and
Arizona.

Friday's match will mark the sixth time this season the
Lions have faced a ranked opponent, going 3-2 so far.